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Don’t Debase Agrarian Crisis to a tale of Blind men Describing an Elephant
- Published on 02 May 2015
(Image Courtesy: taxindiaonline.com)
“Blind men feeling an elephant.” This pithy comment by renowned agricultural expert, Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, about UPA Government's initiatives to handle agrarian crisis in April 2009 rings in the truth about the current political sympathy war for farmers.
Releasing a book titled Agrarian Crisis in India, Dr. Swaminathan also reportedly dubbed electoral promises for farmers such as cheap loans and food security law as “piecemeal measures, not amounting to holistic and thoughtful policy.”
The entire political class should reflect on this sage observation instead of shedding crocodile tears over agrarian crisis, which is of their own making and which is expected to worsen over the long run.
The foremost cause for agrarian crisis is unremitting fragmentation of farm lands and shrinking size of average farm due to population explosion, an issue which has become virtually a taboo for the Politician-NGO-Media-Judiciary combine that sets the national agenda. It prefers to beat about the bush to avoid taking on the majority that seems to have eternal faith in unchecked procreation.
The number of operational holdings has been increasing in tandem with unsustainable growth in population since the Independence. The number of holdings has almost doubled to 137.75 million 2010-11 from 71.0 million in 1970-71, the year when the first agriculture census was conducted.
Revise Lame-duck real estate bill to spawn employment & growth
- Published on 21 April 2015
(Edited Image Courtesy: CPWD)
Aam Aadmi’s quest for a job and a house would remain a nightmare for millions if the lame-duck Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2013 (RERDB) is enacted into a law.
RERDB suffers from enormous reforms and regulatory deficit due to be certain factors explained later in this column. It would thus not help the country realize fully the amazing potential of the real estate sector for inclusive growth.
The Bill neither provides a fair deal to the consumer nor to the seller as it has left out Government, whose actions directly or indirectly impact the real estate in humungous manner. Exclusion of Government would only create new conflicts between the buyers and developers as the issue of delays due to Government would enjoy deemed immunity under the proposed law.
Moreover, the Government has also not brought under RERDB’s ambit certain other stakeholders such as NGOs whose unaccountable actions have wrecked havoc on both the buyers and developers of properties.
Loudmouths have erred over PM’s 5-Star Activists Remark
- Published on 09 April 2015
(Edited Image Courtesy: PIB)
The ruckus over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's observations as to whether public perceptions and five-star activists were driving court verdicts is an instance of dreaded shoot and scoot journalism. It is a classical case of half knowledge in action at certain TV news channels.
There was nothing new in his comment that kept the Opposition and the mainstream media busy haranguing against PM for almost two days. Mr. Modi merely paraphrased what different chief justices of India (CJIs), Supreme Court judges, high courts and other legal entities have stated over the years.
Mr. Modi’s predecessor, Dr. Manmohan Singh, had also voiced concern over certain aspects of judicial activism and public interest litigations (PILs). He had also done some plain-speaking on encroachment of the Executive turf by judicial activism in his speeches during his two tenures as Prime Minister. Did Loudmouths cry hoarse over Dr. Singh’s observations that would be elaborated later?
Even the appellation ‘five star activists’ for foreign funded NGOs is an old hat. Mr. Modi has been using this term for more than a decade. He perhaps spun this label in London while addressing a meeting in London on 18th August 2003.
Mr. Modi’s observations appear muted compared to what certain legal luminaries have stated boldly, honestly and emphatically to stem the growing rot within the judiciary. PM’s speech should have thus served as agenda for a serious debate on the nexus between judicial-NGO-media activism that has thrived largely due to governance-cum-legislative deficit.
Tobaccogate’s overlooked aspects also require public scrutiny
- Published on 08 April 2015
Image courtesy: MOHFW-WHO study
The Tobaccogate is much deeper and wider than the din sparked by brazen attempts by a few BJP members of Parliament to ridicule the correlation between smoking and cancer and other diseases.
Certain grave aspects of Tobaccogate that have been overlooked by the mainstream media are: 1) two identical but separate parliamentary committees have taken diametrically opposite stance on the issue of enforcement of rules framed under Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 (COTPA)! 2) NDA Government’s recent decision to consider cigarette licensing applications of certain companies in a completely non-transparent fashion. 3) The lobbying for cigarette industry in general and bidi industry in particular cuts across the political spectrum.
This recently resulted in production of unanimous but one-sided report for the bidi industry by Lok Sabha Committee on Subordinate Legislation (LSCSL), whose members include MPs from the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Biju Janata Dal, Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Rashtriya Lok Samta Party and Sikkim Democratic Front.
Before elaborating these issues, we should appreciate Modi Government for showing the political will to jettison UPA’s reluctance to promptly and fully comply with World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
In January 2015, the Government unveiled for public comment FCTC-compliant COTPA amendment Bill. It even targets tobacco spitting in public places to prevent infectious diseases like tuberculosis and to promote Swachh Bharat and Swastha Bharat Abhiyan.